RIM's Nortel Bid: Morning Tech Bytes

RIM was rising in pre-market trading Monday following reports that the BlackBerry maker might bid for Notel's patent portfolio.

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Research In Motion ( RIMM) shares jumped 2% in pre-market trading Monday after a Bloomberg report said the company was considering a bid on Nortel's patent portfolio. Google ( GOOG) has already placed a $900 million bid for the wireless technology patents.

In other RIM news, the Blackberry-maker confirmed Sunday that the United Arab Emirates will restrict individuals and small businesses from using the device's secure corporate e-mail services. The restriction will be effective May 1.

Google shares dropped 0.5% to $528.30 after two Korean search engines filed an antitrust lawsuit against the search giant for allegedly limiting their access to Android-based smartphones. The move follows a similar suit filed by Microsoft ( MSFT) against Google last month.

Mutual fund company T. Rowe Price has invested $190.5 million in Facebook, according to recent filings. It's also invested $71.8 million in social gaming company Zynga and $35.4 million in consumer review site Angie's List, emphasizing traditional investment vehicles' willingness to invest in fast-growing Internet companies.

Samsung is seeking to unload its hard drive business for around $1.5 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The electronics company is looking to raise cash to invest in new areas of growth.